The design profession is now considered quite popular. This is true, experts in this field are very much in demand in the labor market. There are also a lot of designers themselves, educational institutions have long opened the direction of training of such specialists. However, a large number of designers are those who independently mastered all the necessary tools of work thanks to the information available today. It is both on sale and in the public domain. Of course, for any specialist, especially a beginner, one of the most important points is to create a designer’s portfolio.
A bit about the profession
Designers are very versatile professionals, they are required in many areas. Each area has its own specific features that must be taken into account. That is why specialization is very important in the design profession. This is not just a word, because, for example, interior design is very different from costume design. We can say that these are completely different directions. Of course, this is not entirely true, since all designers are united by common basic knowledge, such as color theory, knowledge of the basics of composition, etc.
What are the specializations?
There are really a lot of design directions. It is worth noting the most famous and sought after specializations.
- Environment design
This is one of the most popular design areas. Its main task is to develop solutions for the decoration of interiors, rooms, ideas for lighting design and much more.
- Graphic design
Graphic design can rightly be recognized as the most popular trend today. It includes printing, branding, web design, in short, everything that is created using graphic programs.
- Industrial Design
Also an important area. Here you can highlight the design of household appliances, furniture, cars and other goods. It is especially interesting that there is even a design of mechanisms. It allows you to combine extraordinary precision and beauty.
- Landscape design
Specialists of this direction are engaged in the design and improvement of various sites and territories. Their main occupations are the creation of artificial and natural landscapes, in some cases even their restoration, greening of the environment, and floristry.
A little bit about the portfolio of the designer
To find a permanent job or simply interact with the customer, the designer must submit his work. Of course, they should be designed in such a way that will allow the employer to be interested and encourage him to choose this particular contractor. The task is really not easy, but there are many examples of the designer’s portfolio. Examples can be easily found in the specialized literature, it is also worth asking for advice from more experienced colleagues.
If you go back to the term itself, “portfolio” means a selection of samples of work, which in a short time allows you to get acquainted with the possibilities and style of creative work of a specialist.
How to approach this issue?
It is better to take care of the selection of works in advance. As soon as the designer begins his work, he must carefully analyze all his work for whether it should be shown to customers in the future. There is no single answer to the question of how to design a designer’s portfolio. Here everyone should be guided by their own capabilities and level of professional training.
What can be included in the portfolio?
Naturally, this should be the best work of the designer. The most important thing is to organize them correctly. All works should be divided into categories: vector graphics, sketches, icons, etc. You can also develop sorting by type of work, for example, separately arrange business cards, flyers, logos, brochures, posters and other materials. For each work, it is desirable to make a short description and note when the work was done, for whom, to which project it was dedicated, what was the purpose of its implementation, how much time was spent on it. With this approach, pretty quickly you can put together a complete designer portfolio. You can always ask for a design sample from more experienced colleagues, but it would be better to develop your own methodology. Indeed, an individual creative approach is noticeable not only in the works themselves, but also in their organization. To develop your own method, you should look at the best portfolio of designers, especially famous ones.
Designer's portfolio design: which way to choose?
There are several ways to design a portfolio. Of course, it will be much more convenient for the employer to view the work of a potential employee in electronic form. In addition, modern technology allows you to realize your ideas about how to make a designer’s portfolio unusual and original. Many still focus on the print version. For a designer in the field of printing, this method can also be good, because he can show his real work live. For example, provide the employer with business cards, booklets, books that the specialist has developed.
Creating a designer’s portfolio electronically is possible in several ways. You can create a website, video, presentation, or just make a pdf file that is easy to send via email.
Now it is worth considering in more detail all the advantages and disadvantages of these methods.
Portfolio Site
The first thing you need to pay attention to is not to use free services to create sites. Sites created in this way are usually filled with a huge amount of advertising. Also, free funds usually do not allow you to create a full-fledged design, which is not a shame to show to employers and customers.
In this case, it is better to start your own blog with works, it will look much nicer than an unfinished site with many different advertisements.
If you return to the site, then during its development it is necessary to take into account all the nuances. It should be user friendly. First of all, you need to carefully think through navigation so that the employer immediately finds the information he needs.
We can definitely say that most people prefer the vertical option of placing work in a portfolio, since flipping down is much more familiar to the user than flipping to the side. It is also better not to overload the site, but to carefully select works and post not too many of them.
So, creating your website, you can get a full-fledged and well-designed portfolio of the designer. Examples of such sites, already issued by successful colleagues, can be used as a sample.
PDF Portfolio
This is another very convenient way to implement it. However, when creating a designer’s portfolio in this way, you need to keep in mind a few subtleties.
At the beginning of the file, write a small greeting, introduce yourself and give some information about yourself (you can write about professional interests, education, work experience, etc.). This block does not need to be made too large; it should briefly and accurately reflect key information. Do not post more than 4 works on one page. It is desirable that they all be the same size. All portfolio pages should be designed in the same style. As mentioned above, you should not make the file too large, because it will be difficult for the employer to perceive a large amount of information.On the last page you should indicate your contact details and thank you for your attention.
Presentation Portfolio
When developing a presentation, you can follow the general rules for the design of a pdf-file. However, there are some differences: here, slides are used to represent information, you can overlay sound on them. It is extremely rare to use this opportunity, as this can greatly affect the customer’s perception of the designer’s work, and not always for the better.
What else is worth considering?
Many employers do not stop at viewing the work that the designer has done for any commercial projects. Sometimes they want to see drawings and sketches that a person makes for the soul.
In this case, it is possible to more accurately assess the potential of a specialist, his ideas and opportunities for their use in future projects.
